On Oct. 21, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force posted new Vaccination and Safety Protocols frequently asked questions for federal contractors, whose covered employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8 unless the contractor is legally required to provide an accommodation for medical or religious reasons.

ABC has developed a resource and guidance document for ABC chapters and members to learn about the latest updates and ABC actions on the new federal vaccination mandates. The document, which will be updated frequently, includes federal guidance, ABC advocacy letters, Newsline articles, press releases, ABC earned media coverage and more.

On Oct. 26, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it will be issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, which will begin the process to consider a heat-specific workplace rule. The ANPRM was officially published in the federal register on Oct. 27.

The construction industry continues to feel the strain of ongoing supply chain disruptions, ABC said in a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Regulations, which held a hearing on global supply chains and small business trade challenges on Oct. 10.

On Oct. 20, ABC met with the Office of Management and Budget to express its concerns about the forthcoming U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan.

On Oct. 14, ABC joined more than 100 associations in a letter to leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives opposing a proposed tax information reporting requirement that would have an impact on many ABC contractors and nearly all small businesses in America with a bank account.

On Oct. 20, ABC met with the Office of Management and Budget to express its concerns about the anticipated Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan.  Currently, the OSHA ETS is at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the OMB for final review before it is officially published in the federal register. At this time, neither OMB nor DOL have made the contents

Of the nation’s top 10 specialty contractors, five are ABC members, according to Engineering News-Record’s recently published list of Top 600 Specialty Contractors. These successful contractors were ranked based on 2020 revenue.

On Oct. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration sent a COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard rulemaking to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget for review, which will apply to employers with 100 or more employees as required by President Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic COVID-19 Action Plan. The review at OIRA is usually the final step in the process before a rule is officially

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, construction occupations have the highest rate of suicide, as well as the highest number of suicides, across all occupational groups. To combat these statistics and spread awareness, Greg Sizemore, ABC’s vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development and chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, traveled to five ABC chapters across the country to speak about what ABC chapters and members can do to help those who may be struggling. He was also interviewed in various trade publications and news outlets, such as the Marietta Daily Journal, For Construction Pros and Workwear Guru.